One wish: World Peace? Maybe, Maybe Not

So on one of my other sites.... a person put this up in their status.

Person: If I could have any wish I wanted, I would definitely wish for World Peace...Who's with me here? There is just WAY to much animosity now.


... a few thoughts arose...

My response was this:

I'm not sure what the realistic outcome of such a wish would bring. World peace in it's realistic-ness could very well mean no humans and their general "human nature." I would have to do extensive research and drafts upon drafts in developing a verbally spoken wish that will insure the continued existence of all life (including us), but directly affecting the symptoms of thought and behavior that hinder "world peace." A bit much.... lol... just my quick response...




What would you have said to this... something simple ... or something a bit more thought out?

I think you're suggesting that to eliminate war would also, in the process, eliminate a part of the human condition and you question whether or not that would be a good thing.

There is a valid argument for your proposition, but I think the elimination of war without detriment to the condition of our species is achievable, though only as a long term project... a sort of "evolution, not revolution" thing.

To try to change the human condition in one fell swoop would not only be undesirable, it would also be pretty much impossible to achieve. However, humans are remarkably adaptable and over a period of many generations, I think it would be achievable without detriment to our species.

If you can imagine the first primitive primates, struggling for survival, they would kill without compunction. They had to. Their very survival depended on it.

Over time, however, we have learned to survive without the necessity of killing and we have developed social mores which recognise killing as a bad thing.... something to be avoided.... Something to deter others from doing, and to punish in those who do it outside of those situations where we as a species have allowed it to remain "acceptable".

I believe we could evolve further, and probably will.

We send the murderer to jail, but laud the soldier, and yet, the soldier is probably responsible for far more deaths than anyone but the most extreme serial killer. Why is it that we heap the most praise on the most serious offender...?

It is because we still consider war to be "acceptable" when it suits our individual purpose. We have not yet evolved to the stage where we, as a species, can overcome tribal or territorial instincts, or resource driven necessity.

The soldier is seen a brave and heroic, where the murderer is seen as brutal and cowardly and yet, essentially, there is no difference between them. They both kill other humans premeditatedly and without remorse.

War is eradicable, but only when the justifications for it are eliminated by global harmony. Not an easy trick to perfect but one that - slowly but surely - we should work towards. It will be a slow process and a very arduous one. It sure as heck won't happen in our lifetimes. But it must be the path that we, as a species, set ourselves upon. It must be the ultimate goal that we set for ourselves to achieve.

As we move, slowly and painfully, down the road, we will adapt. We will evolve. It will happen at a pace our psyche can adjust to and by the time we eventually arrive at a state of humanity where conflict is eradicated, the instinct to kill will be bred out.

The slowness of this process will not only eliminate the base instinct to kill, but the higher sensory, cultural and civil perceptions will gain a greater ascendancy. By the time we lose the instinct to kill, we won't even notice it's gone.

Will we be a different species..? Yes, we will. We will be as different in the future to what we are now, as what we are now is from those first struggling primates.

It's evolution. Nothing more, nothing less.


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There is no such thing as world peace.

Not yet there isn't, but read the post and think about it. Try thinking.

Try thinking? I always think, hippie. There will never be world peace, it's impossible.

Laughing at "hippie". You're getting childish now. You may use the term as a perjorative, but I consider it a compliment, so thank you for that.

You're entitled to your opinion, and again, thanks for that. I await to hear from Shadowfast though, as I think he may actually have something intelligent to say.


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I think that world peace will be achieved some time after humans evolve an upward facing rectal sphincter, and not before.

But do you not think we should aspire to it..?

Without aspiration, nothing is possible, but if we try hard enough, who knows what can be achieved.

I'm aware of your religious beliefs, Bob, and as such you probably scorn the theory of biological evolution, but have not great advances been made in human culture, simply because people believed they were possible and worked towards them..?

Is that not an evolutionary process too..?

As I said in my post, I don't believe world peace will be achieved in our lifetimes, so we will all go to the graves none the wiser, but I would prefer to live in hope, rather than to die in despair.

Nothing is more intelligent to say than ....

As an addendum to my last, I wonder what you think of the concept of humanitarianism, per se.

Are you for or against it..?

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The only method I see that could achieve world peace would be to create a world where everybody agrees with each other. And what fun would that be?

I don't think so. We only need a concensus amongst nations.

When nations stop fighting each other, then war is ended.

As a wise man once said.......


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The question is...... Do we want it..?


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Well, you'd have to get rid of the flags.

Possibly. But, we must always be aware that there are those inclined to strongly desire our deaths. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, we sleep safe at night because there are those of us willing to do violence against those that seek to harm us.

When we forget this, and start to think that all humans are as "enlightened" as us, I fear that our safety is increasingly less assured.

So, by all means, we should strive for peace, but there are times, sadly, where peace is only achieved or maintained through violence, or at least, the threat of or willingness to use, violence.



Fair enough. I have to admit the inherent violence and at times, stupidity of people, does not really fill me with a sense of despair. Perfect people would annoy the living crap out of me to be honest

But, being serious, I honestly do not think humans will ever be at peace with each other, if for no other reason than most of us struggle to be at peace with ourselves.

I'm going to assume that you know what the word 'concensus' means.